Brian
- 13
- reviews
- 0
- helpful votes
- 119
- ratings
-
Dragonflight
- Dragonriders of Pern, Book 1
- By: Anne McCaffrey
- Narrated by: Dick Hill
- Length: 9 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 6,471
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 5,624
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 5,645
On the beautiful planet Pern, colonized for centuries, Land Holders and Craftsmen have traditionally tithed food and supplies to the dragonweyrs to which they are bound. In times past, the mighty telepathic dragons and their riders were the only protection from the dreaded, life-threatening Thread. Now those times may be returning....
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Poor reading
- By Miles Gloriosus on 09-08-08
- Dragonflight
- Dragonriders of Pern, Book 1
- By: Anne McCaffrey
- Narrated by: Dick Hill
Still Relevant…?
Reviewed: 03-12-25
I think so.
I’ve never read or listened to this book before. Tried to read one of the novels when I was a kid, back in the 90s, and it was hard for me to follow.
From this book, you see how much potential the series has. It sucks you in more in the last third or fourth of the book, but is still hard to follow, in my opinion. That may be because of its age and/or writing style of when it was written.
Overall, if you’re a fan of science fiction/science fantasy, however you want to define it, you have to read/listen to this. Very imaginative.
It’s hard to believe it was written over fifty (almost sixty) years ago…!
The narrator/voice actor does a great job but there is some distortion, to my ear, in the recording. It’s often harsh and not very clear. Doesn’t make it unlistenable, though.
I will definitely follow up and listen to the second book in the trilogy.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Don't Stay Up Late
- A Fear Street Novel
- By: R. L. Stine
- Narrated by: Brittany Pressley
- Length: 6 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 235
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 209
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 208
Both day and night, Lisa Brooks is plagued with nightmares and hallucinations. Could they be caused by the horrifying accident that landed her in the hospital for weeks? When Lisa finds out that a neighbor is looking for a babysitter for her little boy, Lisa jumps at the chance to keep busy and take her mind off of her troubling thoughts. But then the murders start -- and her friends begin dying one by one. Are Lisa's nightmares coming true? Find out in the next installment of R.L. Stine's Fear Street series, Don't Stay Up Late.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Don't waste your time
- By Jennifer Pelczar on 09-25-17
- Don't Stay Up Late
- A Fear Street Novel
- By: R. L. Stine
- Narrated by: Brittany Pressley
Fear Street? More Like Goosebumps with Gore
Reviewed: 10-03-24
First of all, I really like R.L. Stine. I haven't read all of his work, but everything I've ever read, I've liked, since I was in the third grade or so, which was well over thirty years ago. Over the years, I've re-read his work and have been on a kick of listening to the Fear Street books that are here on Audible for fun. Nostalgia? Sure. But I think Stine doesn't necessarily get the credit he deserves.
I think one of the strengths of the original Fear Street books from 1994 is their length. They're short and have incredibly tight pacing with concise writing, keeping things at a fever pitch. This book was over twice the length of the other Fear Street books I've listened to and I have to say, it felt like it. It feels like it was padded with a lot of extra filler to me, although I don't think I could put my finger on any exact scenes that felt out of place. It just feels very padded. There's a lot more description where there probably wouldn't have been earlier.
You can tell what a great writer Stine is here, in my opinion, but this isn't his best work. It's not his most inspired work. I read a couple negative reviews of this one and thought they must be exaggerating, beating up on Stine. I thought I saw a couple, "times have changed, old man" rants in the reviews, which reflected the reviewer more than the work. I think, if anything, it's not the times that have changed, but Stine that has changed.
Still, it's obvious that he hasn't really changed much at all, either, because it's easy to recognize that this is clearly his work. Again, I would just say that it's not his best. What this feels like to me is "Stay Out of the Basement" (one of my favorites when I was a kid), written with the tone of Fear Street, padded to double the length so it's eligible to be viewed as a "novel". I think a lot of the length could be taken out to make it much better and it could still accomplish just as much with less verbiage.
This is three hours, forty minutes of plot, stretched to 6 hours, 40 minutes, in my opinion.
The extra length also makes it so you want more of an explanation by the end. In the earlier Fear Street works, things are moving so fast that not everything needed to be explained. But here, because it takes longer, you're thinking you're going to get more of an explanation. But nope, you're not. You're just going to have to accept it and make up your own mind on the ending and yet, it's not like it's open for interpretation. It's just clear it keeps going. And as far as I know, there's no sequel or plans to make a sequel.
Was it disappointing? Not for me. It's just not as thrilling as maybe some of his earlier work. It's also not terrible, either.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Double Date
- By: R. L. Stine
- Narrated by: Frank Muller
- Length: 3 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 53
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 43
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 43
Bobby Newkirk has a lot of school spirit. The good-looking, guitar-playing teenager has taken all the Shadyside High School cheerleaders out on dates, and now he's making his way down a list of the most beautiful girls in the school. At the top of that list are Bree and Samantha Wade, a pair of gorgeous raven-haired twins. Bobby knows that just like all the other girls in school, Bree and Samantha will fall for his easy charm and cool looks. They do, of course.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
The mystery!
- By Evan Carter on 11-23-24
- Double Date
- By: R. L. Stine
- Narrated by: Frank Muller
Holds You to the Last Second, Becomes Predictable
Reviewed: 09-30-24
I've really been enjoying listening to the Fear Street series on Audible. So many of these stories are classics, in my opinion. This one started out great and at moments, is very thrilling. But the ending, in my opinion, was too predictable. It seemed like there was going to be some mind-bending ending, but ultimately ended up being disappointing.
Don't get me wrong, Stine does a great job making you hate the main character. You don't feel one ounce of sympathy for the guy. The plot and the characters give him several chances to grow, but he doubles-down on being a "pig" each time. So by the end, he gets what he deserves.
I can see a lot of people cheering for the ending of this story, the main character got what they deserved. But at the same time, I thought it was underwhelming. It needed more. The post-ending was even more lackluster, offering one last chance to provide some kind of twist. I was hoping for something that would allow the listener to leave it up to interpretation. But nope. Pretty straight forward revenge plot and then that's it.
If anything, this is a good morality tale of how not to be. And just like most of Stine's work, really well-written.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
The Dare
- By: R. L. Stine
- Narrated by: Christina Moore
- Length: 3 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 39
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 33
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 33
Johanna Wise longed to be a part of the rich popular clique at Shadyside High School. When Dennis Arthur, the star of the track team and one of the most popular guys in school, asks Johanna out it is a dream come true. They seem to have so much in common as they joke about school and creative ways to get rid of their least favorite teacher, Mr. Northwood. When Dennis dares her to actually kill Mr. Northwood Johanna jokingly says yes. The problem is that the entire school is taking her seriously - including Dennis.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
I don't like how the author talks it just doesn't sound like a teen but overall a great story!
- By Nathan on 02-16-25
- The Dare
- By: R. L. Stine
- Narrated by: Christina Moore
Interesting Take on Unreliable Narrator
Reviewed: 09-26-24
Morality tale about an extremely neurotic, fragile girl’s descent into madness and desperation to be part of the cool crowd at school.
There’s a lot here to like. A pretty intense exploration of the character’s psyche and dangerous mental state. I’m surprised they printed it!
I didn’t like the narrator at first, but getting further in, I noticed that’s only because she’s doing an amazing job acting out the character’s fragile mental state and constantly need for affection and affirmation.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
The New Boy
- By: R. L. Stine
- Narrated by: C. J. Critt
- Length: 3 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 54
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 45
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 44
There's a new boy at Shadyside High School, and he's stolen the hearts of all the girls. Good-looking, athletic Ross Gabriel is the kind of guy that every girl wants to date - including best friends Janie, Eve, and Faith. They've even made a bet on which one of them he'll go out with first. Ross dates a lot of girls - and one by one, they're all murdered. It looks like going out with Ross means flirting with a gruesome and horrifying fate.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
the new boy
- By Tiffeny on 12-28-24
- The New Boy
- By: R. L. Stine
- Narrated by: C. J. Critt
Fun Until the Ending Leaves Too Many Loose Ends
Reviewed: 09-25-24
First of all, whoever the artist is that draws the covers for the Recorded Books versions of Fear Street is not good. The original 1994 cover art is far superior.
This story plods along at fever pitch, which is great. The narrator does a pretty good job, although she sounds very cartoonish, in my opinion, all the way through. But she does give life to the main character.
This ending was disappointing for me only because it leaves a whole potential plot line completely open. One of the suspects is totally glanced over. It seemed obvious who the killer was going to be close to halfway through, but then it ends up being someone else. I'm not disappointed I didn't guess correctly, but it seemed obvious that another character had to be in on the crime because of the backstory.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Bad Dreams
- Fear Street Series
- By: R. L. Stine
- Narrated by: Alyssa Bresnahan
- Length: 3 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 61
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 56
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 56
Seventeen-year-old Maggie Travers used to sleep very well at night, until she slept in the old-fashioned canopy bed for the first time. At first, Maggie couldn't believe her luck. When the family moved out of the house, they left a beautiful old-fashioned canopy bed in the room that was now hers. But when Maggie goes to sleep underneath the pretty pink canopy, she has a bad dream-a nightmare that jars her awake with her own piercing scream. Every night from then on, she relives the dream....
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
A good Fear Street
- By Daniel Fahl on 06-27-21
- Bad Dreams
- Fear Street Series
- By: R. L. Stine
- Narrated by: Alyssa Bresnahan
Classic Quick Nostalgia with Great Atmosphere
Reviewed: 09-24-24
Loved the story, tone, etc. The narrator did a fantastic job. Hate the “cover art”. The original ‘94 cover art is much better, though.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Out of the Silent Planet
- Ransom Trilogy, Book 1
- By: C. S. Lewis
- Narrated by: Geoffrey Howard
- Length: 5 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 11,846
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 10,159
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 10,158
Out of the Silent Planet is the first novel of the Cosmic Trilogy, considered to be C.S. Lewis' chief contribution to the science fiction genre.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Original, complex, not middle of the road
- By Phantom's Furnature on 05-27-05
- Out of the Silent Planet
- Ransom Trilogy, Book 1
- By: C. S. Lewis
- Narrated by: Geoffrey Howard
Fascinating
Reviewed: 07-02-24
Was surprised at how much I loved this book. It was very illuminating.
This is a must read/listen for any C.S. Lewis, Tolkien fan.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
The Motivation Myth
- How High Achievers Really Set Themselves Up to Win
- By: Jeff Haden
- Narrated by: Ray Porter
- Length: 6 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,821
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,546
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,535
It's comforting to imagine that superstars in their fields were just born better equipped than the rest of us. When a co-worker loses 20 pounds, or a friend runs a marathon while completing a huge project at work, we assume they have more grit, more willpower, more innate talent, and above all, more motivation to see their goals through. But that's not at actually true, as popular Inc.com columnist Jeff Haden proves. "Motivation" as we know it is a myth. Motivation isn't the special sauce that we require at the beginning of any major change.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
nothing you haven't heard before
- By Logan on 05-22-18
- The Motivation Myth
- How High Achievers Really Set Themselves Up to Win
- By: Jeff Haden
- Narrated by: Ray Porter
Invaluable
Reviewed: 06-07-24
Best productivity book I’ve ever read. Way more honest than so many other books out there. Must read.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
After Steve
- How Apple Became a Trillion-Dollar Company and Lost its Soul
- By: Tripp Mickle
- Narrated by: Will Damron
- Length: 14 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 656
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 582
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 580
Steve Jobs called Jony Ive his “spiritual partner at Apple.” The London-born genius was the second-most powerful person at Apple and the creative force who most embodies Jobs’s spirit, the man who designed the products adopted by hundreds of millions the world over: the iPod, iPad, MacBook Air, the iMac G3, and the iPhone.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
Disappointing & full of faked fiction
- By Peter Keller on 05-06-22
- After Steve
- How Apple Became a Trillion-Dollar Company and Lost its Soul
- By: Tripp Mickle
- Narrated by: Will Damron
Not the Same Apple
Reviewed: 05-25-24
Vindication for any Apple fan who feels like Apple hasn’t been the same since Steve passed away.
The gist of the book? Apple turned their attention to Wallstreet and in doing so, forgot about their core customer base and turned their backs on making great products. Goes through the story of why the hardware has been lackluster for over a decade and why Apple is no longer innovative.
This book is especially relevant after the release of Apple Vision Pro.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Redwall
- Redwall, Book 1
- By: Brian Jacques
- Narrated by: Brian Jacques, Full Cast
- Length: 10 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 4,901
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 4,082
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 4,072
When Redwall was published in 1987 it catapulted author Brian Jacques to international stardom. And small wonder! This enthralling tale is jam-packed with the things we long for in a great adventure: danger, laughter, hairbreadth escapes, tragedy, mystery, a touch of wonder, a truly despicable villain, and a hero we can take to heart.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Two paws up from an initially skeptical listener
- By D. McMillen on 09-30-04
- Redwall
- Redwall, Book 1
- By: Brian Jacques
- Narrated by: Brian Jacques, Full Cast
An Immortal Classic
Reviewed: 04-30-24
I read this in the fifth or sixth grade. Twenty nine years later, I’m listening to it again because of my daughters. I forgot what a masterpiece it really is. Such a satisfying ending and conclusion. Loved the voice acting.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!